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ncq's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Transphobia, Deadnaming, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Homophobia
Also features sex work throughout, but without being anti-sex workraybudbury's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The transphobia and sexual abuse/assault I would say could be triggering for some ppl. This one is both a warm hug but can also knock the wind out of you which the author did well in setting the mood for those situations.
The concept was so ambitious as there is extensive music and violin knowledge/playing, Faustian bargains, found family, and… aliens. And honestly the author pulls it off for the most part. I do think the strongest bit of this book is the relationships between characters more so then plot etc.
(Also this is a 3 am review so if this makes no sense sorry about it)
Graphic: Transphobia, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, Classism, Bullying, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Rape, and Body shaming
scifi_rat's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual harassment, Rape, Transphobia, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Violence, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Outing, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship
booksbyabbi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Violence, Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Homophobia
monstrouscosmos's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Relationships: 8/10
Atmosphere/Setting: 10/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Plot/Intrigue: 9/10
Internal Logic: 8/10
Entertainment: 9/10
Overall: 62/70, 4.5*
sometimes a family is 2 parents, 2 kids, and a household pet. sometimes a family is a transgender runaway, The Queen of Hell and her living companion Oki, and a group of intergalactic refugees-turned-donut shop proprieters.
I think my biggest issue with the book boils down to the pacing. with 3 primary interconnecting storylines and 1-2 secondary storylines it definitely felt like none actually got the thematic exploration they deserved. specifically I would have loved to see more about the violin shop! this was also the most triggering read I've ever finished. while not necessarily a detriment never feeling like I knew when things would get very heavy very quickly definitely made it difficult to enjoy some of the more sweet and lighthearted moments.
the pros are many though. I actually appreciated the quick POV changes, they were challenging but gave a depth of understanding I appreciated. the LARGE number of neurodivergent-coded characters was also great, love to see a group of people with highly specialized interests who just want to info dump to one another. some of the character beats felt unrealistic at first, but I was quickly able to suspend disbelief when considering some of the sociocultural experiences of the characters (and, again, just coding all the characters as being neurodivergent in some way). given how explicit the writing is in other ways I would have preferred seeing more explanation of how and why characters other than Kristina react the ways they do in-the-moment, but the context clues and overarching pattern of experience was definitely there for me.
Graphic: Gun violence, Classism, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Racism, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Outing, War, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Rape
rape was on page and fade to black, harassment/violence was on page and explicit, assault covers all 3 so I consider it explicitk_fry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Racism, Physical abuse, Outing, Deadnaming, Body shaming, Rape, Violence, Transphobia, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Self harm, Murder, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Blood, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Domestic abuse
pan_dulce08's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
For example,
Sorry this is so long... I enjoyed a lot of aspects and characters from the book when I read it, but a lot of things about it bothered me as well and I wanted to talk about those things...
Graphic: Outing, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Misogyny, Death, Violence, Physical abuse, Dysphoria, Racism, and Transphobia
Moderate: Alcoholism
saracat's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
And this book did give a lot to think about. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that combines demons and aliens. So it was very interesting to see how those elements got combined.
Listening to the audiobook, it sometimes felt like there were very sudden jumps from one character to another, so it took me a few seconds or sentences to realize what was being said was not about the previous character. And I did sometimes struggle to keep some of the characters straight in my head.
My heart went out constantly to Katrina and Shirley because of their kindness and the flawed adults in their lives. I found Lan and Shizuka to be complicated and flawed, but still likable characters who had a lot of growth.
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Violence, Rape, and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual harassment
Not just people being transphobic but internalized transphobialaguerrelewis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
the other violin will sound the note”
—Say Yes, Andrea Gibson
Light From Uncommon Stars is difficult to distill. A plot synopsis often leaves your audience thinking “how does that fit together?” This is actually Stars’ greatest strength—it contains multitudes, and its insight is fathomless. Like Gibson says in the poem quoted above, Ryka Aoki is able to play the exact chords that resonate and sound in the reader. The result is a moving and incredibly affecting story of legacy, love, connection, community, mistakes, the condition of being alive, and the connective power of music and donuts. These words will stay with me for years to come. Keep tissues on hand, and do not read this book hungry.
Graphic: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Violence, Misogyny, Blood, Death, Dysphoria, Sexual content, War, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Outing, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Deadnaming, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, and Medical content
cazadork's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Dysphoria and Transphobia
Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, and Deadnaming